Framework for supporting repair processes of aircraft

ABSTRACT

A framework for supporting one or more repair processes of one or more aircraft. The repair processes are based on repair information or repair solution corresponding to the damages to one or more structural components of the aircraft. The framework includes a knowledge engine, and a deployment engine. The knowledge engine automatically generates one or more knowledge interpretation systems based on the user inputs. The knowledge interpretation systems provide the repair information corresponding to the various structural components of the aircraft based on the user inputs. The deployment engine fulfils the deployment requirements corresponding to the one or more knowledge interpretation systems.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to repair of aircraft. More specifically,it relates to a framework for supporting one or more repair processes ofthe aircraft.

Aircraft structural components get damaged during their manufacturingand in service. Repair of such damages requires specialized knowledgeand expertise Most of these damages are repaired using Structural RepairManuals (SRMs) provided by Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) ofthe structural components. Typically, the SRMs are voluminous documentscontaining a large amount of information corresponding to the damagesand repair of the aircraft structural components. Repair engineers needto study and interpret the information to provide repair solution(s).The study and interpretation of the SRMs is a complex, tedious andtime-consuming process. As a result, the airliners incur a huge cost dueto the long repair cycle time.

Most OEMs and airliners maintain a database containing their experiencesor specialized knowledge on actual damages and repairs performed over aperiod of time. However, the current repair processes may not utilizethe specialized knowledge stored in the database in providing the repairsolutions for the damages. Further, the commercial aircraft industrynowadays uses composite materials for various structural components. Thedamage and repair of the structural components made of compositematerials can be more complex than the repair of components made ofmetallic structures. Furthermore, the composite repair technology is inits initial stages and is still evolving. Thus, the SRMs may not containan exhaustive list of damage and repair scenarios related to thestructural components made of composite materials. Therefore, the repairof composite materials poses several challenges for the airliners,depots, and OEMs. Furthermore, updated versions of the SRMs are releasedby the OEMs periodically over the lifetime of the aircraft. The updatedversions include a new set of guidelines for damage identification andrepair instructions that need to be studied again and adapted inpractice to identify the repair solutions.

In light of the discussion above, there is a need for a solution forsupporting the repair processes to provide fast, effective, reliable,and consistent repair solutions for metallic as well as compositestructures. Further, the solution should use the SRMs as well as theprevious damage and repair information to provide the repair solutions.Furthermore, the solution should support the different aircraftconfigurations available in the industry and the various versions of theSRMs.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides a framework, method, and computer program productfor supporting one or more repair processes of one or more aircraft. Therepair processes of the different aircraft are based on repairinformation corresponding to the aircraft. The repair information isprovided by one or more knowledge interpretation systems correspondingto the aircraft. The knowledge interpretation systems provide the repairinformation corresponding to one or more structural components of theaircraft. The knowledge interpretation systems are automaticallygenerated based on user inputs. Further, deployment requirementscorresponding to the knowledge interpretation systems are provided byone or more users. The deployment requirements facilitate deployment ofthe knowledge interpretation systems based on the user's requirements.The repair information is also provided by one or more query systemscorresponding to the one or more aircraft. The systems are automaticallygenerated based on the user inputs. The query systems identify one ormore repair solutions from a plurality of repair solutions, containingrepair information, corresponding to the various aircraft. Further,deployment requirements corresponding to the query systems are providedby one or more users. The deployment requirements facilitate thedeployment of the query systems based on the user's requirements.

The framework, method, and computer program product described above haveseveral advantages. The framework reduces the time spent in theinterpretation of SRMs and providing the repair solutions. The frameworkutilizes the damage and repair history in assisting to devise the repairsolutions and thus, provides the repair solutions in less time fordamages that may not be mentioned in the SRMs. The inventionsignificantly reduces the structural repair cycle time and provides astructured and automated interpretation of SRM knowledge. Further, theinvention provides a comprehensive solution for reducing the dependencyon repair technicians or experts and providing consistent repairdesigns. The framework also supports different aircraft configurationsand thus, reduces the cost of development of interpretation systemframeworks for the different aircraft configurations. Furthermore, theframework enables the development of knowledge interpretation systems byrepair domain experts with no or limited software programming knowledge.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The various embodiments of the invention will hereinafter be describedin conjunction with the appended drawings, provided to illustrate andnot to limit the invention, wherein like designations denote likeelements, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a framework for supporting one or more repair processes of oneor more aircraft, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic representation of one or more rulescorresponding to a structural component of an aircraft, in accordancewith an exemplary embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates diagrammatically a node graph corresponding to thestructural component of the aircraft, in accordance with the exemplaryembodiment of invention;

FIG. 4 is a framework for supporting the one or more repair processes ofthe one or more aircraft, in accordance with another embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for supporting one or morerepair processes of one or more aircraft, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the method for supporting the one ormore repair processes of the one or more aircraft, in accordance withanother embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The invention describes a framework, method, and computer programproduct for supporting one or more repair processes of one or moreaircraft. The repair processes are based on repair informationcorresponding to one or more structural components of the aircraft.Various documents, such as SRMs, corresponding to the structuralcomponents are provided by OEMs and airliners. These documents includeinformation such as the structure of the aircraft, the damage and therepair information of the structural components, and the like. Thesedocuments and the information included in them are provided as inputs invarious formats to the framework by users, such as repair domainexperts. The framework thereafter automatically generates one or moreknowledge interpretation systems using the inputs. The knowledgeinterpretation systems interpret the information included in thedocuments and thus provide the repair information for the various typesof damages to the structural components. The framework therefore,enables generation of the knowledge interpretation systems usingnon-programming techniques such as generating diagrammaticrepresentations of the information included in the documents, and thelike. The generation of the knowledge interpretation systems has beenexplained in detail in conjunction with the following figures. Further,deployment requirements corresponding to the knowledge interpretationsystems are provided by the users. The deployment requirementsfacilitate deployment of the knowledge interpretation systems accordingto the user's requirements.

FIG. 1 is a framework 100 for supporting one or more repair processes ofone or more aircraft, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.Framework 100 includes a knowledge engine 102 and a deployment engine120. Knowledge engine 102 includes a rule generator 104, a ruleintegrator 106, a document content extractor 108, a component manager110, a document manager 112, a form generator 114, a form layout manager116, and a form integrator 118.

Knowledge engine 102 automatically generates one or more knowledgeinterpretation systems based on user inputs. The user inputs requiredfor the generation of a knowledge interpretation system include,information relating to the aircraft such as structure of the aircraft,information relating to the various structural components of theaircraft, and so forth. The knowledge interpretation systems aregenerated using one or more rules and one or more documentscorresponding to the aircraft as explained in conjunction with thefollowing figure(s). A knowledge interpretation system corresponding toan aircraft provides repair information corresponding to one or morestructural components of the aircraft. The various structural componentsof the aircraft may include wings, stabilizers, fuselage, and so forth.It will be evident to a person skilled in the art that a singleknowledge interpretation system can provide repair informationcorresponding to the various structural components of multiple aircraft.The repair information corresponding to the one or more structuralcomponents is provided by the knowledge interpretation systems based onthe user inputs. The user inputs required for providing the repairinformation include, description of the structural components,description of the damage, and so forth.

The knowledge interpretation system provides repair information from oneor more documents corresponding to the aircraft. The documents mayinclude, but are not limited to, a Structural Repair Manual (SRM), anAircraft Maintenance Manual (AMM), a Component Maintenance Manual (CMM),and an overhaul and repair manual. The documents corresponding to theaircraft are prepared by the OEMs. These documents include informationrelating to the different structural components of the aircraft,information relating to the damages and repair of the various structuralcomponents, and so forth. A user, for example, a repair engineer, arepair domain expert, knowledge engineer, and the like provides suchdocuments corresponding to the aircraft as an input to knowledge engine102. Knowledge engine 102 automatically generates the knowledgeinterpretation systems using the one or more documents. The knowledgeinterpretation systems automatically interpret the information includedin the documents to provide the repair information for the various typesof damages Therefore, knowledge engine 102 enables generation of theknowledge interpretation systems and providing the repair informationthrough non-programming techniques such as providing the documentscorresponding to the aircraft as an input to knowledge engine 102,generating diagrammatic representations, such as flowcharts, of theinformation corresponding to the aircraft, and the like.

Rule generator 104 enables the user to generate one or more rules basedon the documents corresponding to the aircraft. The user, for example, arepair engineer, a repair domain expert, an expert repair designer, andso forth, studies the documents corresponding to the aircraft.Thereafter, the user generates different rules corresponding to theaircraft based on the study and interpretation of the informationincluded in the documents. In an embodiment of the invention, rulegenerator 104 enables the user to modify and re-use the existing rulesfor the various aircraft. A rule provides repair solution or repairinformation for a particular type of damage to one or more structuralcomponents of the aircraft. The rules are used for the interpretation ofthe one or more documents by knowledge engine 102 and thus provide therepair information. The user generates various rules corresponding tothe different structural components of the aircraft. It will be evidentto a person skilled in the art that multiple rules can be generated fora single structural component of an aircraft. The rules generated byrule generator 104 correspond to the damage and repair information ofthe various structural components of the aircraft. The damage and repairinformation is obtained from the various documents of the aircraft. Therules are therefore, used for providing repair information or repairsolutions for the various types of damages to the structural componentsof the aircraft.

The rules may be generated by the user in various formats such asgraphics, text, or a combination of both. The different graphicalformats for generating the one or more rules may include flowcharts,activity diagrams, and so forth. A flowchart representing a rulecorresponding to a particular type of damage provides a logical sequenceof steps or activities that need to be performed to repair the damage.In an embodiment of the invention, rule generator 104 facilitates thegeneration of the rules in the form of flowcharts through a GraphicalUser Interface (GUI). In another embodiment of the invention, rulegenerator 104 facilitates modification and reuse of the previouslygenerated flowcharts for different aircraft. The GUI provides a visualeditor, which further provides different visual logic constructs to theuser for generating the flowcharts. The different visual logicconstructs may include decision nodes, resolution nodes, switch nodes,input nodes, terminal nodes, external connector nodes, and so forth.Rule generator 104 may also provide different types of variables, suchas Boolean, character, integer, and string in decision flowcharts. Thedifferent variables are used for receiving inputs from various usersduring the execution or use of the knowledge interpretation systems toidentify the repair solutions. The inputs are used to gather informationsuch as description of the different structural components of theaircraft, description of the damages to the structural components, andso forth. An exemplary flowchart generated by using the various visuallogic constructs is represented in FIG, 2. In an embodiment of theinvention, rule generator 104 defines format specifications for therepresentation of the flowcharts, the visual constructs, and the like,according to Extensible Markup Language (XML) standards. Further, rulegenerator 104 facilitates storage of input variables during theexecution of the knowledge interpretation system. The storage of theinput variables facilitates retrieval of historical informationcorresponding to the damages and repair. The retrieval of the historicalinformation reduces the time spent in providing the repair information.Moreover, the repair information thus provided is reliable andconsistent.

Rule integrator 106 enables the user to integrate a set of rules. Theintegrated set of rules is identified from the one or more rulesgenerated by rule generator 104. A set of rules corresponding to astructural component of the aircraft is integrated by the user usingrule integrator 106. The user integrates the various rules correspondingto different types of damages to the structural component of theaircraft. For example, a user integrates the rules corresponding tovarious damage categories for nose wheel well door component to definethe repair procedure for the said aircraft component. The useridentifies and integrates the set of rules from the one or more rulesbased on the study and interpretation of the various documents. Theintegrated set of rules is used by knowledge engine 102 for theinterpretation of the various documents and therefore, provides therepair information. The integration of the set of rules is performed bylinking the flowcharts representing the various rules. The linkagebetween the flowcharts is represented in the flowcharts using variousconnector nodes as illustrated and explained in conjunction with FIG. 2.The integrated set of rules is represented in various graphical formatssuch as a node graph, and the like. Each node of the node graph islinked to a flowchart corresponding to a particular type of repair ofthe structural component. An exemplary node graph corresponding to astructural component of an aircraft is illustrated in FIG. 3. In anembodiment of the invention, rule integrator 106 facilitatesmodification and re-use of the previously generated node graphrepresenting the integrated set of rules. In another embodiment of theinvention, rule integrator 106 facilitates the integration of the rulesthrough a GUI. Rule integrator 106 provides a visual editor for modelinglinkages between the flowcharts. Rule integrator 106 also facilitatessharing of the variables and the nodes of the flowcharts throughtransfer across the defined linkages between the flowcharts. In anotherembodiment of the invention, rule integrator 106 defines formatspecifications of node graphs representing the integrated rulesaccording to XML standards. In another embodiment of the invention, thevarious rules generated in the form of text may be integrated bycreating hyperlinks between the rules. The integration of the rulesfacilitates sharing and reuse of the rules generated for differentaircraft.

Document content extractor 108 extracts information from the variousdocuments corresponding to the one or more aircraft. The extraction ofthe information from the various documents is based on the one or morerules. The rules provide repair solutions or repair information fordifferent damages using the various documents. The information, such asthe steps or activities that need to be performed to execute the repairsolution, the material required to perform the repair, images orsnapshots of the damages, and so forth, may be required for execution ofthe various rules. The information is stored in the various documentsand is extracted by document content extractor 108 based on the one ormore rules. In an embodiment of the invention, the various documents maybe stored in different formats such as Adobe Portable Document Format(PDF), Microsoft® Word, and so forth. Document content extractor 108facilitates development of a PDF customization utility to enable theuser to tag references in the various documents, such as the SRMs,through Adobe editor component. Further, document content extractor 108facilitates nested search of the documents by generating a tree of allhyperlinks to different pages of the various documents. The tree isgenerated from a single hyperlink provided by the user during thegeneration of the various rules. Document content extractor 108 extractsall pages containing the hyperlinks in the node graph of the integratedset of rules and generates a new Adobe PDF file for future reference.

Component manager 110 stores and manages information corresponding tothe one or more structural components of the various aircraft. Theinformation corresponding to a structural component may include,sub-components of the structural component, and so forth. Theinformation corresponding to the structural components is obtained fromthe various documents corresponding to the aircraft. In an embodiment ofthe invention, the information corresponding to the various structuralcomponents is extracted manually from the documents. The informationcorresponding to the various structural components is provided by theuser, for example, repair engineer, knowledge engineer, and so forthbased on the information available in the various documentscorresponding to the aircraft. The information corresponding to thestructural components may be stored in a graphical format such as a treestructure, and so forth. Component manager 110 facilitates developmentof a tree to manage the information corresponding to the one or morestructural components of the aircraft. In an embodiment of theinvention, component manager 110 facilitates modification and re-use ofthe previously generated trees based on different configurations ormodels of the aircraft. The tree, also referred to as an aircraftcomponent tree, represents the structural components of a singleaircraft. Each leaf node of the aircraft component tree represents arepairable structural component of the aircraft. In an embodiment of theinvention, component manager 110 may also define format specificationfor representation of the aircraft component tree according to the XMLstandards. Component manager 110 displays the aircraft component tree tothe various users of the knowledge interpretation systems to enable themto identify the structure of the aircraft and thereby identify therepair solutions. The aircraft component tree assists the users tonavigate to a particular aircraft component. Further, the leaf nodesrepresenting the structural components are linked to the one or moreflowcharts of the corresponding structural components. Component manager110 facilitates creation of hyperlinks between each leaf node of theaircraft component tree and the one or more flowcharts representing therules. The creation of hyperlinks therefore, assists in the managementof the rules and the documents corresponding to the aircraft. Further,the users can execute the rules using their links with the leaf nodes ofthe aircraft component tree.

Document manager 112 stores and manages the one or more documents andthe one or more rules corresponding to the various aircraft. In anembodiment of the invention, the various documents corresponding to theaircraft may be stored in various formats, such as Microsoft® Word,Adobe Portable Document Format, and so forth. Document manager 112facilitates generation and storage of links, such as hyperlinks, betweenthe rules and the documents corresponding to the aircraft. In anembodiment of the invention, hyperlinks are created between variousprocess or input nodes of the flowcharts (representing the variousrules) and the corresponding documents used in the nodes. Documentmanager 112 therefore, manages the documents and the rules correspondingto the various aircraft. Further, document manager 112 facilitatesstorage of details, such as name, and path, of the hyper-linked nodegraphs and the flowcharts associated with the aircraft component tree.Furthermore, document manager 112 facilitates display of warning dialogsduring the generation of the various rules. The warning dialogs, such asalerts, highlight incomplete linkages of the visual constructs of theflowcharts to the GUI controls while storing the various rulesrepresented by the flowcharts.

Form generator 114 generates one or more forms corresponding to thevarious structural components of the aircraft. These forms are used bythe knowledge interpretation systems for receiving the user inputscorresponding to the various structural components of the aircraft. Theuser inputs obtained using the forms may include, description of thestructural components of the aircraft, description of the damage to thestructural components, and similar details. The user inputs are used foridentifying the repair information during the execution of the knowledgeinterpretation systems. Form generator 114 provides various GUIcontrols, such as text box, combo list, radio buttons, and so forth,through visual editor for generating the forms. A user, for example, arepair engineer, a knowledge engineer, and so forth, selects the GUIcontrols for generating the forms. The forms thus generated varyaccording to different parameters such as user requirements, structureof the aircraft, and so forth. In an embodiment of the invention, formgenerator 114 facilitates alteration or modification of previouslygenerated forms for various aircraft. In another embodiment of theinvention, form generator 114 may also provide a set of form templatesto be used for receiving the user inputs. Furthermore, form generator114 may allow the GUI controls to be hidden or inactive to allow forlogic driven dynamic appearance during the execution of the knowledgeinterpretation systems. Thus, form generator 114 makes provisions forthe knowledge interpretation systems to perform context-based renderingof the predefined GUI controls on the various forms for receiving theuser inputs.

Form layout manager 116 displays the various forms to the one or moreusers of the knowledge interpretation systems for receiving the userinputs. Form layout manager 116 may also facilitate grouping of the GUIcontrols specified through form generator 114 to display them to theusers. Form layout manager 116 also provides various group controls orgroup-frame controls, such as forms, group frames, and so forth, througha visual editor for grouping of the GUI controls.

Form integrator 118 integrates the forms with the various rules. Theintegration of the forms and the rules assists in the generation of theknowledge interpretation systems. Form integrator 118 binds or links thevarious GUI controls of the forms with the various nodes of theflowcharts representing the rules. The integration of the forms with therules is performed based on user requirements. The user requirementsprovided for the integration include the programming language, theoperating systems, and so forth required for operating the knowledgeinterpretation systems. The integration of the forms with the rules isalso based on the control flow as dictated by the various flowcharts andnode graphs. Therefore, form generator 118 enables generation of variousknowledge interpretation systems for a single aircraft according to theuser requirements. Form integrator 118 generates various scripts tointegrate the forms and the rules and thus generates the knowledgeinterpretation systems. Form integrator 118 is the code generationcomponent of knowledge engine 102. In an embodiment of the invention,form integrator 118 enables creation of program source codes, such asMicrosoft® C# files, Java files, header files, Java Server Pages (JSPs),servlets, and so forth. Form integrator 118 also assists in creation ofbuild and other infrastructure files such as makefiles, files withextension such as ‘jmk’, ‘idl’, ‘ant’, and so forth. Further, formintegrator 118 enables creation of java class files with appropriatepath hierarchies according to standard specifications to ensureportability across third-party enterprise server platforms. Furthermore,form integrator 118 enables the user to create Microsoft® .Netassemblies, Meta files, and other necessary binaries and componentsrequired in the context of Microsoft® .Net implementation.

Deployment engine 120 caters to deployment requirements corresponding tothe one or more knowledge interpretation systems. The deploymentrequirements are provided by the various users, such as repair designengineers, and so forth. The deployment requirements may include inputscorresponding to build-time and deployment environment, such asoperating system, Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) serversfor authentication, Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) servers formail configuration, data sources definitions for specifying OpenDatabase Connectivity (ODBC), Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) servers,and so forth. Deployment engine 120 assists in establishingcompatibility of framework 100 with various platforms, such asMicrosoft® Windows, UNIX®, Solaris, Linux®, Hewlett Packard Unix (HPUX),and so forth. Deployment engine 120 provides a visual interface togather the deployment requirements from the users. The deploymentrequirements assist in creating and modifying configuration files, andbuilding enterprise application archives, other necessary components,and interfaces to enable deployment of archives and binaries of theknowledge interpretation systems on various networks of OEMs, MROs, andthe like. The archives and binaries assist in web deployment of theknowledge interpretation systems. Deployment engine 120 also enables theuser to create files in various formats, such as Java Archive (JAR),Enterprise Archive (EAR), Web Application Archive (WAR), ResourceAdapter Archive (RAR), and so forth, for the deployment of the knowledgeinterpretation systems.

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic representation 200 of one or more rulescorresponding to a structural component of an aircraft, in accordancewith an exemplary embodiment of the invention. Diagrammaticrepresentation 200 includes a flowchart illustrating various rulescorresponding to a nose wheel well door component of the aircraft. Theflowchart illustrates various repair solutions for the different typesof damages, such as dents, holes, delam and the like, to the nose wheelwell door. The flowchart also makes provisions for notifying the usersin case the repair solution is not available in the various documents,such as SRMs, corresponding to the aircraft. The flowchart helps theuser to define inputs such as region of damage, zone identity of thelocation, ply type, damage type, and so forth. The inputs are defined inthe flowcharts using different variables such as a, b, and so forth,which are further processed to identify the repair solutions. Further,depending on the type of damage such as dent, delam and hole, theflowchart connects to other flow charts that identify specific repairprocedures for the specific type of damage. The connection orintegration between the various flowcharts is illustrated using variousconnector nodes 202 such as a connector node 202 a, a connector node 202b, and a connector node 202 c.

FIG. 3 illustrates diagrammatically a node graph 300 corresponding tothe structural component of the aircraft, in accordance with theexemplary embodiment of invention. Node graph 300 illustrates variousrules corresponding to the nose wheel well door component of theaircraft. Node graph 300 links or integrates flowcharts illustratingdifferent repair solutions for the nose wheel well door. Node graph 300links the component repair root flowchart with other flowcharts thatdeal with specific damage type repair procedures for the nose wheel welldoor. Node graph 300 is made accessible through hyper-link(s) from aleaf node of the aircraft component tree corresponding to the nose wheelwell door.

FIG. 4 is a framework 400 for supporting the one or more repairprocesses of the one or more aircraft, in accordance with anotherembodiment of the invention. Framework 400 includes a query systemgenerator 402 and a deployment engine 404.

Query system generator 402 automatically generates one or more querysystems based on user inputs. The query systems identify one or morerepair solutions from a plurality of repair solutions corresponding tothe various aircraft. The repair solutions provide the repairinformation for repairing the various damages. A query system enablesthe user, for example, a repair engineer, a knowledge engineer, and soforth, to generate one or more queries to identify the repair solutions.The queries are generated on the basis of one or more features of theone or more structural components of the various aircraft. The variousfeatures for generating the various queries may include, shape of thestructural component, topological features of the structural component,and so forth. The queries are thus generated based on the user inputs.In other words, the user inputs required for the generation of the querysystems correspond to the various features of the structural componentsof the aircraft.

Query system generator 402 facilitates the creation of native schematemplates for the generation of the query systems. The native schematemplates are used by the query systems for displaying the queries tothe users of the query systems for receiving their inputs. The querysystems also use and display existing damage and repair informationcorresponding to the various aircraft in response to the queries.Therefore, the query systems enable the reuse of the existing damage andrepair information. In an embodiment of the invention, query systemgenerator 402 provides a GUI for displaying the native schema templatesand the damage and repair information. The GUI provides a visual editorfor receiving the user inputs and specifying query constructs. In anembodiment of the invention, query system generator 402 enablesmodification and creation of tables in the schema templates to createnew schema templates. In another embodiment of the invention, querysystem generator 402 supports one or more different database schematemplates such as Microsoft® Excel, Microsoft® Access, and the like. Inan embodiment of the invention, query system generator 402 mayfacilitate auto population of the damage and repair information in thedatabases. The damage and repair information for different aircrafts isstored by the airliners in different data formats. Query systemgenerator 402 facilitates conversion of the different data formats intosome predefined formats and thereby facilitates auto population of thedamage and repair information in the databases.

Deployment engine 404 caters to deployment requirements corresponding tothe query systems. The deployment requirements are provided by thevarious users, for example, deployment engineers. The deploymentrequirements may include inputs corresponding to build-time anddeployment environment such as operating system, Lightweight DirectoryAccess Protocol (LDAP) servers for authentication, Simple Mail TransferProtocol (SMTP) servers for mail configuration, data sources definitionsfor specifying Open Database Connectivity (ODSC), Java DatabaseConnectivity (JDBC) servers, and so forth. Deployment engine 404 assistsin establishing compatibility of framework 400 with various platforms,such as Microsoft® Windows, UNIX®, Solaris, Linux®, Hewlett Packard Unix(HPUX). Deployment engine 404 also provides a visual interface to gatherthe deployment requirements from the users. The deployment requirementsassist in creating and modifying configuration files, and buildingenterprise application archives, other necessary components, andinterfaces to enable deployment of archives and binaries of the querysystems on various networks of OEMs, MROs, and the like. The archivesand binaries assist in web deployment of the query systems. Deploymentengine 404 also enables creation of files in various formats, such asJava Archive (JAR), Enterprise Archive (EAR), Web Application Archive(WAR), Resource Adapter Archive (RAR), and so forth for the deploymentof the query systems.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for supporting one or morerepair processes of one or more aircraft, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention.

The one or more repair processes are based on repair informationcorresponding to various damages to one or more structural components ofthe one or more aircraft. The repair information is obtained from one ormore knowledge interpretation systems corresponding to the aircraft. Theknowledge interpretation systems are automatically generated based onuser inputs. The knowledge interpretation systems are used forinterpreting one or more documents corresponding to the aircraft toprovide the repair information. The user inputs are therefore, based onthe various documents corresponding to the aircraft, such as StructuralRepair Manuals (SRMs), Aircraft Maintenance Manuals (AMMs), ComponentMaintenance Manuals (CMMs), and overhaul and repair manuals.

At 502, a user, for example, a repair engineer, a knowledge engineer, arepair domain expert, and so forth, generates one or more rules. Therules are generated on the basis of the various documents correspondingto the aircraft. The rules are used for interpretation of the documentsto provide the repair information. The generation of the rules has beenexplained in detail in conjunction with FIG. 1.

At 504, a user integrates a set of rules. The integrated set of rulesmay correspond to a structural component of the aircraft. The integratedset of rules is identified from the one or more rules. The useridentifies and integrates the set of rules from the one or more rulesbased on the documents. The integrated set of rules is used forinterpreting the documents and thereby providing the repair information.

At 506, information included in the documents is extracted on the basisof the rules. The information extracted from the documents may include,steps or activities that need to be performed to execute a repairsolution, materials required to perform the repair, and so forth.Further, at 506, the documents and the rules corresponding to theaircraft are stored and managed. Similarly, at 506, informationcorresponding to the one or more structural components of the aircraftis stored and managed as explained in conjunction with FIG. 1.

At 508, one or more forms are generated for receiving the user inputs.The user inputs correspond to the various structural components of theaircraft and are used for providing the repair information correspondingto the structural components. The forms are then displayed to the usersof the knowledge interpretation systems for receiving their inputs. Theforms are displayed to the users through a GUI.

At 510, the forms are integrated using the rules based on userrequirements. The integration of the forms and the rules assists in thegeneration of the knowledge interpretation systems. The userrequirements provided for the integration include the programminglanguage, the operating systems, and so forth required for operating theknowledge interpretation systems.

At 512, deployment requirements corresponding to the one or moreknowledge interpretation systems are catered or fulfilled. Thedeployment requirements enable deployment of the knowledgeinterpretation system on the networks of OEMs, MROs, and the like. Thedeployment requirements are provided by the users, for example,deployment engineers, Information Technology (IT) engineers, and soforth.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method for supporting the one ormore repair processes of the one or more aircraft, in accordance withanother embodiment of the invention.

The one or more repair processes are based on one or more repairsolutions corresponding to the various damages to the structuralcomponents of the aircraft. The repair solutions are obtained from oneor more query systems corresponding to the aircraft. The query systemsare automatically generated based on user inputs. The query systems areused for identifying the one or more repair solutions from a pluralityof repair solutions corresponding to the aircraft.

At 602, the one or more query systems are automatically generated basedon the user inputs as explained in detail in conjunction with FIG. 4.The query systems enable the user to generate one or more queries toidentify the repair solutions. The queries are generated based on one ormore features of the structural components of the aircraft. The featuresused for generating the various queries may include, shape of thestructural components, the topological features of the aircraft, and thelike.

At 604, deployment requirements corresponding to the query systems arecatered. The deployment requirements enable deployment of the querysystems on the networks of the OEMs, MROs, and the like, as explained inconjunction with FIG. 4. The deployment requirements are provided by theusers, for example, deployment engineers, IT engineers, and so forth.

The framework, method, and computer program product described above haveseveral advantages. The framework enables automatic generation ofvarious knowledge interpretation systems and various query systems,thereby reducing the time spent in the interpretation of StructuralRepair Manuals (SRMs) and providing repair solutions. The frameworkutilizes the damage and repair history in assisting to devise the repairsolutions through the various query systems, and thus provides therepair solutions in less time for damages that may not be mentioned inthe SRMs. The invention significantly reduces the structural repaircycle time and provides a structured and automatic interpretation of SRMknowledge. Further, the invention provides a comprehensive solution forreducing the dependency on repair technicians or experts and providingconsistent repair designs. The framework also supports differentaircraft configurations by enabling automatic generation of theknowledge interpretation systems for the different aircraftconfigurations or models. Thus, the framework reduces the cost ofdevelopment of interpretation system frameworks for the differentaircraft configurations. Furthermore, the framework enables thedevelopment of knowledge interpretation systems by repair domain expertswith no or limited software programming knowledge.

The framework for supporting one or more repair processes of one or moreaircraft, as described in the present invention or any of itscomponents, may be embodied in the form of a computer system. Typicalexamples of a computer system include a general-purpose computer, aprogrammed microprocessor, a micro-controller, a peripheral integratedcircuit element, and other devices or arrangements of devices that arecapable of implementing the steps that constitute the method of thepresent invention.

The computer system comprises a computer, an input device, a displayunit, and the Internet. The computer further comprises a microprocessor,which is connected to a communication bus. The computer also includes amemory, which may include Random Access Memory (RAM) and Read OnlyMemory (ROM). The computer system also comprises a storage device, whichcan be a hard disk drive or a removable storage drive such as a floppydisk drive, an optical disk drive, etc. The storage device can also beother similar means for loading computer programs or other instructionsinto the computer system. The computer system also includes acommunication unit, which enables the computer to connect to otherdatabases and the Internet through an Input/Output (I/O) interface. Thecommunication unit also enables the transfer as well as reception ofdata from other databases. The communication unit may include a modem,an Ethernet card, or any similar device which enable the computer systemto connect to databases and networks such as Local Area Network (LAN),Metropolitan Area Network (MAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), and theInternet. The computer system facilitates inputs from a user through aninput device, accessible to the system through an I/O interface.

The computer system executes a set of instructions that are stored inone or more storage elements, in order to process the input data. Thestorage elements may also hold data or other information as desired. Thestorage element may be in the form of an information source or aphysical memory element present in the processing machine.

The present invention may also be embodied in a computer program productfor supporting one or more repair processes of one or more aircraft. Thecomputer program product includes a computer usable medium having a setprogram instructions comprising a program code for supporting one ormore repair processes of one or more aircraft. The set of instructionsmay include various commands that instruct the processing machine toperform specific tasks such as the steps that constitute the method ofthe present invention. The set of instructions may be in the form of asoftware program. Further, the software may be in the form of acollection of separate programs, a program module with a large programor a portion of a program module, as in the present invention. Thesoftware may also include modular programming in the form ofobject-oriented programming. The processing of input data by theprocessing machine may be in response to user commands, results ofprevious processing or a request made by another processing machine.

While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustratedand described, it will be clear that the invention is not limited tothese embodiments only. Numerous modifications, changes, variations,substitutions, and equivalents will be apparent to those skilled in theart without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, asdescribed in the claims.

1. A framework for supporting one or more repair processes of one ormore aircraft, the framework comprising: a. a knowledge engineconfigured for automatically generating one or more knowledgeinterpretation systems based on user inputs, a knowledge interpretationsystem corresponding to an aircraft provides repair informationcorresponding to one or more structural components of the aircraft, therepair information being provided based on the user inputs, the one ormore repair processes being performed based on the repair information;and b. a deployment engine configured for catering to deploymentrequirements corresponding to the one or more knowledge interpretationsystems, wherein the deployment requirements are provided by one or moreusers.
 2. The framework of claim 1, wherein the knowledge interpretationsystem is used for interpreting one or more documents corresponding tothe aircraft for providing the repair information.
 3. The framework ofclaim 2, wherein the user inputs are based on the one or more documentscorresponding to the aircraft.
 4. The framework of claim 2, wherein theone or more documents comprise at least one of a Structural RepairManual (SRM), an Aircraft Maintenance Manual (AMM), a ComponentMaintenance Manual (CMM), and an overhaul and repair manual.
 5. Theframework of claim 2, wherein the knowledge engine comprises a rulegenerator configured for enabling a user to generate one or more rulesbased on the one or more documents corresponding to the aircraft, theone or more rules being used for the interpretation of the one or moredocuments.
 6. The framework of claim 5, wherein the knowledge enginefurther comprises a rule integrator configured for enabling the user tointegrate a set of rules from the one or more rules, wherein the set ofrules correspond to a structural component of the aircraft, the set ofrules being used for the interpretation of the one or more documents. 7.The framework of claim 5, wherein the knowledge engine further comprisesa document manager configured for storing and managing the one or moredocuments and the one or more rules corresponding to the one or moreaircraft.
 8. The framework of claim 5, wherein the knowledge enginefurther comprises a document content extractor configured for extractinginformation from the one or more documents, wherein the information isextracted based on the one or more rules.
 9. The framework of claim 1,wherein the knowledge engine comprises a form generator configured forgenerating one or more forms for receiving the user inputs correspondingto the one or more structural components of the aircraft, the userinputs being used for providing the repair information.
 10. Theframework of claim 9, wherein the knowledge engine further comprises aform layout manager configured for displaying the one or more forms tothe one or more users.
 11. The framework of claim 9, wherein theknowledge engine further comprises a form integrator configured forintegrating the one or more forms with one or more rules, theintegration being performed based on user requirements, wherein theintegration assists in the generation of the one or more knowledgeinterpretation systems.
 12. The framework of claim 1, wherein theknowledge engine comprises a component manager configured for storingand managing information corresponding to the one or more structuralcomponents of the one or more aircraft.
 13. A framework for supportingone or more repair processes of one or more aircraft, the frameworkcomprising: a. a query system generator configured for automaticallygenerating one or more query systems based on user inputs, the one ormore query systems identifying one or more repair solutions from aplurality of repair solutions corresponding to the one or more aircraft,the one or more repair processes being performed based on the one ormore repair solutions; and b. a deployment engine configured forcatering to deployment requirements corresponding to the one or morequery systems, wherein the deployment requirements are provided by oneor more users.
 14. The framework of claim 13, wherein the one or morequery systems enable a user to generate one or more queries foridentifying the one or more repair solutions.
 15. The framework of claim14, wherein the one or more queries are generated based on one or morefeatures of one or more structural components of the one or moreaircraft.
 16. A method for supporting one or more repair processes ofone or more aircraft, the method comprising: a. automatically generatingone or more knowledge interpretation systems based on user inputs, aknowledge interpretation system corresponding to an aircraft providesrepair information corresponding to one or more structural components ofthe aircraft, the repair information being provided based on the userinputs, the one or more repair processes being performed based on therepair information; and b. catering to deployment requirementscorresponding to the one or more knowledge interpretation systems,wherein the deployment requirements are provided by one or more users.17. The method of claim 16, wherein the knowledge interpretation systemis used for interpreting one or more documents corresponding to theaircraft for providing the repair information.
 18. The method of claim17, wherein the user inputs are based on the one or more documentscorresponding to the aircraft.
 19. The method of claim 17, wherein theone or more documents comprise at least one of a Structural RepairManual (SRM), an Aircraft Maintenance Manual (AMM), a ComponentMaintenance Manual (CMM), and an overhaul and repair manual.
 20. Themethod of claim 17 further comprising enabling a user to generate one ormore rules based on the one or more documents corresponding to theaircraft, the one or more rules being used for the interpretation of theone or more documents.
 21. The method of claim 20 further comprisingenabling the user to integrate a set of rules from the one or morerules, wherein the set of rules correspond to a structural component ofthe aircraft, the set of rules being used for the interpretation of theone or more documents.
 22. The method of claim 20 further comprisingstoring and managing the one or more documents and the one or more rulescorresponding to the one or more aircraft.
 23. The method of claim 20further comprising extracting information from the one or moredocuments, wherein the information is extracted based on the one or morerules.
 24. The method of claim 16 further comprising generating one ormore forms for receiving the user inputs corresponding to the one ormore structural components of the aircraft, the user inputs being usedfor providing the repair information.
 25. The method of claim 24 furthercomprising displaying the one or more forms to the one or more users.26. The method of claim 24 further comprising integrating the one ormore forms with one or more rules, the integration being performed basedon user requirements, wherein the integration assists in the generationof the one or more knowledge interpretation systems.
 27. The method ofclaim 16 further comprising storing and managing informationcorresponding to the one or more structural components of the one ormore aircraft.
 28. A method for supporting one or more repair processesof one or more aircraft, the method comprising: a. automaticallygenerating one or more query systems based on user inputs, the one ormore query systems identifying one or more repair solutions from aplurality of repair solutions corresponding to the one or more aircraft,the one or more repair processes being performed based on the one ormore repair solutions; and b. catering to deployment requirementscorresponding to the one or more query systems, wherein the deploymentrequirements are provided by one or more users.
 29. The method of claim28, wherein the one or more query systems enable a user to generate oneor more queries for identifying the one or more repair solutions. 30.The method of claim 29, wherein the one or more queries are generatedbased on one or more features of one or more structural components ofthe one or more aircraft.
 31. A computer program product for use with acomputer, the computer program product comprising a computer usablemedium having a computer readable program code embodied therein forsupporting one or more repair processes of one or more aircraft, thecomputer readable program code performing: a. generating one or moreknowledge interpretation systems based on user inputs, a knowledgeinterpretation system corresponding to an aircraft provides repairinformation corresponding to one or more structural components of theaircraft, the repair information being provided based on the userinputs, the one or more repair processes being performed based on therepair information; and b. catering to deployment requirementscorresponding to the one or more knowledge interpretation systems,wherein the deployment requirements are provided by one or more users.32. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein the computerreadable program code further performs storing and managing one or moredocuments and one or more rules corresponding to the one or moreaircraft.
 33. The computer program product of claim 32, wherein thecomputer readable program code further performs extracting informationfrom the one or more documents, wherein the information is extractedbased on the one or more rules.
 34. The computer program product ofclaim 31, wherein the computer readable program code further performsgenerating one or more forms for receiving the user inputs correspondingto the one or more structural components of the aircraft, the userinputs being used for providing the repair information.
 35. The computerprogram product of claim 34, wherein the computer readable program codefurther performs displaying the one or more forms to the one or moreusers.
 36. The computer program product of claim 34, wherein thecomputer readable program code further performs generating one or morescripts to integrate the one or more forms with one or more rules, theintegration being performed based on user requirements, wherein theintegration assists in the generation of the one or more knowledgeinterpretation systems.
 37. The computer program product of claim 31,wherein the computer readable program code further performs storing andmanaging information corresponding to the one or more structuralcomponents of the one or more aircraft.
 38. A computer program productfor use with a computer, the computer program product comprising acomputer usable medium having a computer readable program code embodiedtherein for supporting one or more repair processes of one or moreaircraft, the computer readable program code performing: a. generatingone or more query systems based on user inputs, the one or more querysystems identifying one or more repair solutions from a plurality ofrepair solutions corresponding to the one or more aircraft, the one ormore repair processes being performed based on the one or more repairsolutions; and b. catering to deployment requirements corresponding tothe one or more query systems, wherein the deployment requirements areprovided by one or more users.